One Step Forward
by Nessa Elendil
Summary: Sequel to 'To Lose It All' Best to read that first.


_**A/N: I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.**_

* * *

_She gently reached over and guided the boy to her, cradling his small form against her chest. It would have been easier for her to get down with Harry on her back and two free hands, but when she told him to 'hold on tight', he put her neck in a death grip and buried his face below her chin. Jasmine kept a tight arm around him, and slowly, carefully, brought the two of them back down to the world below._

* * *

When Jasmine returned to her sister's home, alone, she slammed the door shut behind her and fell back against it.

"Jasmine?"

Jasmine made no attempt to answer Andromeda.

"Honey, where were you?" Andromeda asked, full of concern when she saw the tears shining in the younger witch's eyes.

She drew in a deep breath. "An entire year, Andromeda. An entire _fucking_ year!"

"Jasmine…" Andromeda knew what this was all about.

"How could you make those _suggestions_ to him? How?!"

"You are excellent with Nymphadora, I can't deny that, but she's old enough to care for herself if she really needs to. Harry's not. I'll do what I need to if it will make you a better guardian."

"You could have helped me by staying the hell out of it!"

Andromeda sighed. "Jasmine, you are in no way fit to care for a child. You're a mess, you're life is a mess."

"My life is fine! And if it weren't, how would you expect all this shit to help?!"

The older sister cupped the face of the younger, forcing their eyes to meet. "Calm down."

Jasmine wrenched her face from her sister's hold. "Have you even seen what that senile git is having me do? Anger management, alcoholics anonymous, _sexoholics_ anonymous! Why would you tell him I spent a few months after Lily and James died staying out all night? That doesn't make me a slut!"

"No," Andromeda answered calmly, "but what you were doing while you were out is not appropriate behavior."

Jasmine scoffed. "'Not appropriate behavior?'"

"If something happens, you can't leave your child to go out drinking and Merlin only knows what else. You need to set the example." Andromeda continued when she saw her sister open her mouth. "I know you want a drink right now. You keep glancing at the kitchen, and I know where you keep it."

"And threw it out?"

"Yes."

Sighing, Jasmine tried again. "How do you even know what I did when I was out?"

"Remember your pregnancy scare? 'I don't want a baby now.' Then you denied ever saying that."

"Well, it's not like anyone but me remembers, so I'd been between a rock and a hard place if I wanted child support."

"What does that mean?" Andromeda asked, her tone sharper.

"It was only in the Wizarding world, and the Memory Charm only erased after we started talking, and he was always drunk by that point. No one will know the difference."

Andromeda was dumbfounded. "Do you have _any_ idea how illegal that is?!"

"I work with the people who write all those laws, remember? Hell, I've written some of them myself. If I didn't know the laws so well, I'd be in Azkaban ten times over by now."

"_Merlin_, Jasmine!"

"You know, what? This isn't what we were talking about, and I don't care how related it is. I was supposed to get Harry at the end of this week. Now because of all this, I only have weekends starting with the one after this with my godson! Why did you tell him all this?!"

"You be grateful it's only for a year-"

"At least a year," Jasmine corrected bitterly.

"-and that Dumbledore referred you to Muggle groups. You had also better understand that I did not tell him everything I could have."

"Really? Enlighten me, why don't you, because I'm having a hard time thinking of something more you could have said."

Andromeda paused, looking at her sister sadly. "You really don't remember the night I brought you here, do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Jasmine… I had heard what happened… It must have been nearly two or three in the morning when I went to check up on you… You didn't open your door, so I went in… You don't remember this?"

"I remember going home, and waking up in your bedroom. What the hell could I have missed?"

"Jasmine, when I found you… you were standing over the kitchen sick holding a knife at your wrist…"

"I… what?"

Andromeda took a step forward and hugged Jasmine close. "Please understand, I care about you, and know you enough to know that right now, you will not be able to properly care for a child. Give this year a try; do it for Harry if not for yourself."

"I've never tried to… No matter what happened… Never…"

"Once," Andromeda corrected quietly.

Jasmine nodded mutely, slowly returning her sister's embrace.


End file.
